Intorqueo de Fortuna
by Starfire201
Summary: One change is all it takes.  "Starscream trapped in ice" AU.  G1 and includes minor movie elements.
1. A Single Change

**A/N:** I decided to try my own hand at a "Starscream trapped in the ice" story, as in my opinion there are too few of those. I know that the others out there are unfinished, but I do promise that I will finish mine. R/L is just getting crazy right now, and it will take a bit of time. I already have the second chapter done, and the remaining chapters are roughly outlined. It's just the getting them down that will be awhile.

The title means "Twist of Fate." As for the name of the galaxy, the way I figured it, if it was documented, it wouldn't have been known to Cybertronians as the Milky Way Galaxy. They would have referred to it by another name entirely, so I gave one that I believed would have fit a scientific mind on Cybertron. "World 7" comes from counting backwards from the outer rim of the Solar System.

**Disclaimer: **Don't own. Hasbro does.

* * *

"_It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped."_ - Anthony Robbins

* * *

**Intorqueo de Fortuna**

_Galaxy C-29A321, World 7 – During the Golden Age of Cybertron_

_This can't be happening._

Skyfire flew over the ice field once more, running yet another scan. The scans produced the same results as each one prior: nothing. No traces whatsoever.

_It __**shouldn't**__ be happening. He's too skilled a flier. I simply must have missed him somehow._

Yet every scan produced the same results. All the comm. calls he made and pings he sent went unanswered. The longer he searched with the same results, the more Skyfire felt his Spark sink.

_Our mission is a failure. _A tinge of bitterness at the thought._ How could this have happened? Everything started out so well this time…_

* * *

_____For Skyfire and Starscream, the expedition had been long and, in many ways, difficult. The majority of the worlds that had appeared promising with the first scans as energon sources ended up proving to be a dead end. _Some worlds had sentient life, and much of that proved to be unfriendly, in part because Starscream liked to tease them a bit too much. Other worlds had too little to really be called adequate for Cybertron's needs, and with a few the scans showed the energon as being either too toxic or too unstable.

_By the time they stumbled across this world in the virtually uncharted galaxy labeled as C-29A321, it wasn't just Starscream's patience that was at an end. Skyfire was frankly irritated with the whole expedition himself. However, the initial scans of this world were extremely promising, as in no sentient life and the sources appearing to be stable, __so after a brief discussion_ both decided to go in for a closer look.

_After settling into orbit, Skyfire gave the usual instructions to Starscream._

"_All right, here is what we will do. I will begin my scans in the tropical region in the upper hemisphere, and you will begin in the Northern polar region. We will gradually work our way into the temperate region and meet up there."_

"_Agreed. Upon completion of the Northern sector, we will cover the Southern portion of this world in the same manner. Once we are done, we can begin the analyses of the collected data."_

"_Agreed. And Starscream?"_

"_Yeeesss?"_

"_No fooling around on this world, please. I would like to finish at least __**one **__portion of this expedition without any type of damage or problems."_

___Even in alt-mode, Skyfire just **knew** Starscream was smirking._

"_Ah, Skyfire, you know me too well. But if it will reassure you, I agree to that also."_

_Skyfire sighed and would have shaken his head if he could._

"_You are incorrigible."_

___Laughter over the comm. _was his response. Skyfire restrained another sigh, deciding there was no point in saying anything further on that particular subject. They needed to get started, anyway.

"_So then, shall we begin?"_

_A flutter of wings signalled assent and they broke orbit. After breaking through into the lower atmosphere, they separated, each mech heading to his assigned region._

_A few joors later came the signal from the distress beacon. Skyfire immediately opened a comm. link to Starscream, hailing him. At first, all he could hear was static. Then he did hear a message, but a broken one._

"_Sky…storm…sud…ly…Can't…fi…out…Ne…he..p."_

_Skyfire felt fear seize his Spark. Starscream absolutely **hated** asking for help, he was far and away too proud to ever admit to needing any. Skyfire had taken him under a figurative wing long ago, and while some of the pride and fiery temper had been calmed, he knew they would never entirely disappear. That Starscream was asking for help __**now**__…_

_Meant the situation was extremely bad._

_Skyfire ceased his scans and turned, heading straight for the Northern polar region._

_However, when he got there, the storm proved too vicious for him to get through. All Skyfire could do was fly around the edges until it passed._

_Leading to this moment…_

* * *

Skyfire finished the latest scan and hovered over the area for a long time. Their mission had failed: Only one world was viable for energon creation and his partner was likely deactivated. The Science and Expedition Council would not be pleased.

Or would they?

For a number of reasons, including his own arrogance and temper, Starscream had long been at odds with the Science and Expedition Council. Over time, he came to believe the Council had it out for him. Skyfire usually called him paranoid when he made such declarations, thinking him melodramatic. But still, he couldn't deny the danger level of some of those assigned missions gave him pause enough to wonder if it _wasn't_ simple paranoia.

Skyfire also remembered hearing unsavory rumors and complaints from other scientists regarding the Council's use of their discoveries and inventions.

That was, until some had disappeared and others suddenly changed their opinions...

After several breems of thought along these lines, Skyfire came to a decision. With the failure of the expedition, there was no point in returning to Cybertron. Not only was there nothing to show for the failed journey, he had a nasty feeling concerning what would happen if he _did _return alone. Whether the Council would be pleased at Starscream's disappearance or irritated by the lack of viable energon sources, Skyfire could not shake the feeling his life would be at risk and it would be best if he staged his own "disappearance". No, best not to return.

But he would never come back here, either.

Decision made, Skyfire turned upwards and headed through the atmosphere into the stars. He had no idea at the moment where he would go, but one thing he knew for certain: he was done with both Cybertron and the world his partner was entombed on.

At least, that was what he thought.


	2. The Road Winds Back

**A/N: **Here is the next installment of Intorqueo, and this chapter brings us into the present day. From this point on, I have chosen to use movie colors for some of them and G1 colors for others. There is just a bit too much of certain colors in G1 and I'd like them to appear a bit different (plus, to be honest, I'd think a bright-colored jet would stand out. If you're supposed to be in hiding from humans and your own kind, you do need to blend in a bit more). Alt-modes will stay the same as in G1, except in a couple of select cases.

**A/N2: **Have rewritten chapter 2, as the original was a little short on description.

* * *

_A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it_. ~Jean de La Fontaine

* * *

_9 million years later_

_100,000 vorns._

That was Skyfire's thought as he approached the small blue orb in Galaxy C-29A321, and it sickened him.

_Over 100,000 vorns since I've seen the one world I never wanted to return to ever again…No, let me amend that, the __**two **__worlds I never wanted to return to ever again. Why the Pit did I choose to answer that distress signal?_

These thoughts caused Skyfire to remember the events leading him to end up in this predicament. Perhaps twenty orns ago he was passing through a nearby planetary system just after picking up supplies when a distress signal registered on his monitors. It was faint, but seemed urgent, so he tracked it back to the source.

The moment he realized it was coming from Cybertron, every curse that Skyfire ever heard in his life (most of it from Sta…His former partner) filled his hold. During his thousands of vorns of wandering and exploration, he had avoided his homeworld, sometimes going far out of his way to do so, and now a simple distress signal was calling him back. He almost chose not to continue to Cybertron, but the curiosity and nostalgia he had long thought buried nudged at him. He decided to check it out, if only to see if some of the rumors of the civil war he had heard about over the eons were true.

Skyfire could not believe his optics when he saw the devastation of the planet as he approached Cybertron. From what he could tell, the rumors were more than justified. Some buildings were toppled, others were burned out. Some places looked more like barren wastelands than thriving cities. But what made it worse to Skyfire was the apparent lack of surface population. Not a single living Cybertronian could be seen. Skyfire could only see a lot of grayed-out shells, and if there were any functioning Cybertronians around, they were in deep cover. The shuttle really didn't want to think too much about the possible causes of this destruction, and continued on tracking the signal.

A short time later, he felt a query ping, just before a voice hissed from his comm. _"Shuttle, what is your designation and affiliation?" _

Startled, Skyfire turned his scanners ahead. A few kliks away, he saw a Trine of Seekers, sporting the colors of green, brown and fuchsia.

Skyfire decided to ignore the mechs in favor of tracking the signal.

Again the voice sounded from his comm., this time a bit more irritated. _"Shuttle, what is your designation and affiliation?"_

Skyfire growled inwardly, and if it was possible, he would have clenched his fists. The sights of the burned-out and toppled buildings, the grayed-out shells, and the apparent barrenness of Cybertron had been a shock to him, and only reinforced his decision to never return once he completed his self-imposed mission. The sight of the devastation was convincing enough for him that his home world was as good as dead, and in his opinion, there was no point sticking around to die with it. Not to mention the fact even before he arrived in Cybertronian airspace, it was already grating on him that he had allowed old nostalgia to bring him back, even if briefly, to help someone. Hearing an afthead Seeker issue those demands for his name and alliance was the final straw. _Now, what would HE say in a case like this? Oh, yes. I know exactly what he would say._ Skyfire inwardly gave a very nasty smile and shot back the most appropriate response he felt fit the situation:

"Go frag yourself."

After a moment of stunned silence on the other end, the lead Seeker, the green one, roared, and began to fire, with his Trine quickly following suit.

Skyfire quickly dodged straight down, going into a brief spin. The Seekers followed. Then he went into a hard stop, and the Seekers, not expecting this, overshot him. Skyfire took his chance and aimed three precise shots at each of their thrusters, knocking the Seekers out of the sky. Skyfire didn't stop to see if any of the three had survived, feeling it more imperative to continue on towards the source of the signal. However, he did run an infrared scan as he turned, and found that while it did seem like the three were alive, it also appeared they wouldn't be following him any time soon. Skyfire went back to tracking the signal. Shortly after the brief dogfight, he pinpointed the location coming from what appeared to be a vacant factory. The shuttle landed and transformed, pulling his blaster out of subspace as he did so. He may not like to fight, but after what had just happened, he preferred not to take any chances.

At first, he was unable to find any traces of whomever it was that had triggered the distress beacon. Just as he was about to move on, he heard the hum of a weapon firing up.

"Inferno, Twins, the Decepticons have found us!" came a hysterical cry.

Skyfire turned around and saw a small group of mechs behind him, each of them sporting a red sigil on their chassis. The group consisted of four mechs, a silver one, a golden one, a tall red mech, and a red and white bicolor. This last mech had sensor horns, and was the one who had fired up the weapon. The others were simply eying Skyfire, cold, suspicious looks on their faces, weapons also aimed at him, though still cold.

"It's a spy! A Decepticon spy!" shrieked the red and white mech.

Now, Skyfire had not exactly expected a warm reception, but certainly the_ last_ thing he expected was to be accused of being a part of this war the moment he showed up with the intention to help. Not only that, he had just had to deal with some Seekers who likely believed he was part of this as well.

Skyfire decided to keep it short and to the point. He did not want to be here any longer than necessary, and already he regretted returning. _If I had known this was the reception I would receive, I would have left well enough alone_, he thought.

"My name is Skyfire, and my affiliation is Neutral. I was passing through a nearby system and picked up the signal coming from a distress beacon which I tracked to this location. I am willing to take you wherever you need to go."

Three of the mechs (all of them with strange alt-modes, Skyfire noticed, though three of the four alt-modes seemed similar) seemed to ease up just slightly.

"You were the one we saw shoot down those Seekers," said the tall red mech. It was not a question.

"Yes," was Skyfire's only response.

The tall mech turned to his red, white and rather agitated companion. "If this is the mech that shot down those slaggers, I'd say he's okay, Red."

"No, it's a Decepticon plot," cried the mech called 'Red'. "He's trying to lure us into a false sense of security, before he turns us over to his comrades!"

"Red, look, just be reasonable for a moment," the other mech began in a weary voice.

"'Be reasonable?' I am being reasonable! Trusting this mech will be our undoing!" was the responding wail.

That was it for Skyfire. _I go out of my way to come here in spite of my better judgment. Then, I'm shot at by Seekers. Now I'm being accused of being a spy _after _I shoot down mechs that they _must _have seen attack me?_

Skyfire transformed back into his alt-mode, startling every one of the mechs present. He opened his door and lowered his ramp. The next thing they heard was a calm, cold voice quivering with barely restrained anger.

"If you need transport, get on in the next two kliks. Otherwise, once that time is up, I will leave you here for either the downed Seekers or their comrades to find."

For a moment, no one moved. Then the yellow mech spoke up.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I have no desire to be deactivated because of Red Alert's paranoia. I rather like my paint job intact."

"Count me in, Sunny," responded the similar-framed silver mech. Without another word, both mechs strode forward and each of them grabbed Red Alert's arms and dragged him up the ramp.

"Stop this! I demand you stop this right now!" protested the upset mech.

"Sorry, Red, but I want to live a bit longer," was the only response he got.

The tall red mech followed backwards with his weapon out, eyes moving around quickly as the others pulled Red Alert up the ramp. The moment all four were aboard, Skyfire pulled up the ramp, closed and sealed the door, and launched at full speed up into the sky, not even waiting for his passengers to sit and buckle in.

Once they were clear of Cybertron, Skyfire finally slowed down enough to allow the four to buckle in. The moment they had done so, the tall red mech spoke up, grinning a bit now that the scare was over.

"Now that all the drama is out of the way, I'm thinkin' we haven't yet had the opportunity to introduce ourselves. I'm Inferno, frontliner warrior for the Autobots. The hysterical mech there, as you probably guessed, is called Red Alert, our Security Director. The yellow and silver guys there are Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, our resident Twins and frontliners like me."

In spite of himself, Skyfire couldn't help but be curious about why they had found it necessary to set off a distress beacon, and said so.

The smile dropped away from Inferno's face as he responded. "About six orns ago, we received a request at our Earth base to help a small Cybertronian cell of Autobots check the defenses of a Decepticon base that was nearby. Things were goin' okay until about an orn ago, when one of the others set off the alarm and we were attacked. Had to scatter so that it wouldn't be that easy to catch us." Inferno shook his head grimly. "Not sure what happened to the others, we lost contact with them shortly after separating. Anyhow, we decided to take our chances and set off a distress beacon, hopin' that someone friendly would respond and get us off-planet…"

Skyfire could not believe his audials. "Why the fragging Pit would you put out a distress beacon? If I could track it from as far away as I was, your enemies certainly could track it from a shorter distance. And kill you once they found you, I might add."

Sunstreaker sneered. "We are more than capable of handling any 'Con that comes our way. We'd have killed them before they got near us."

Skyfire was far from impressed with Sunstreaker. His attitude reminded him all too well of a certain Seeker he once knew.

He shot back, "All arrogance does is get one killed. And considering the amount you seem to be showing, I'm amazed you are still alive."

Sunstreaker's face contorted in rage, and he unbuckled his belt and rose from his seat, planning on challenging Skyfire.

Sideswipe realized what his brother planned, and he hastily unbuckled, got up and grabbed his brother's arms before Sunstreaker could get more than a few steps toward the controls. Sunstreaker was not happy about being restrained. At all.

"Let go, Sides. This big mouth needs to be taught a lesson," the golden mech hissed in a threatening tone.

Sideswipe knew his only chance lay in trying to reason with Sunstreaker. So he made the attempt.

"Sunny, it's not worth it. Besides, do you really want to damage the mech who is being nice enough to take us back to Earth to report to Prime? And besides, I think he would eject you before you ever got near his console. Heck, if any of us frag him off enough, he could eject us all if he got it in his processor to, and how would we get back then?"

Sunstreaker stopped struggling as the words seemed to penetrate his processor. After a moment, he managed to pull free of Sideswipe and went back and sat down in his seat, although he took the opportunity to aim a sneer at Skyfire's console before doing so.

Skyfire really did not want to hear any more about the war or why they had ended up in the situation they had. All he wanted was just to drop off the passengers who already seemed like more trouble than they were worth.

"What are the coordinates for this planet you call Earth?" he asked wearily.

Red Alert shot him yet another suspicious look, and for a moment it seemed like he wasn't about to answer, but after a moment he rattled off the numbers right away, apparently feeling the same way the shuttle did about spending much time in each other's company.

As soon as Red Alert finished listing them, Skyfire ran them through his trajectory computer. Strangely, those numbers seemed familiar. As soon as the galaxy name appeared on his internal screen, he understood just _why_ they seemed so familiar, and his Spark sank.

_Oh, Primus. No, not _that _world…_

But he couldn't let them know he was acquainted with this world. Then they'd want to know why…

"Acknowledged. I will now plot our course. Check the top crate on the back wall of my cargo hold should you need energon during the trip." was all he was willing to say to them.

He said not another word for the remainder of the journey, in spite of various attempts by Sideswipe or Inferno to engage him in conversation.

Now, as he looked at the world in front of him, he felt sick. Here he was, returning to the planet that had haunted him all these eons, the world he swore he would never return to again.

Well, at least he didn't have to stay after dropping them off…

"We are on final approach to the planet you call Earth," he said, startling his passengers. "If you need to send a message your comrades, it would be best to do it now, so they don't just shoot me out of the sky. From the rumors I've heard, fliers are not exactly considered welcome within your faction."

A nod from Red Alert, and he got up from his seat and moved towards the console.

Red Alert transmitted the message to the Autobot base, giving their status and requesting permission to land as well as coordinates for landing.

Skyfire was only glad that his role was almost over, and he could go on his way after getting these Autobots to their destination.

After all, there was nothing else for him here…


	3. Ghosts from the Past Return, part I

**A/N**: I was having some trouble with Chapter 3, so I decided to break it into two sections. This one, I don't think will surprise too many as I hinted at what was coming at the end of last chapter. I also took a certain movie element and put my own twist on it. For those who haven't guessed, well, let's just say things are about to get a bit more difficult for Skyfire. The next section is going to take a bit longer as I need to brush up on battle scene writing, but should be out by the beginning of next month. Hope this will tide you all over until then.

* * *

"_Now those memories come back to haunt me/They haunt me like a curse."_ - Bruce Springsteen, _The River_

* * *

Inferno's voice interrupted Skyfire's musings.

"Actually," he said, "the rumors aren't entirely accurate."

If Skyfire had been in root-mode, he would have quirked a browridge.

"Really? Everything I've ever heard suggests otherwise," was his skeptical response.

Inferno shrugged, not put off by the tone. "Eh, it's true we don't have too many fliers. Most of those that _did_ join us at the start of the war were deactivated within a few vorns by the Decepticons. 'Cons considered them traitors because they wouldn't side with them. Only really got a handful now."

"Inferno, you are committing a serious breach of security protocol!" shouted Red Alert, furious that Inferno had so cavalierly given out what he considered sensitive information.

"Ah, Red, ease up. He's a Neutral, and judging from what we saw on Cybertron and how he's acted towards us, he doesn't seem interested in reporting anything to either faction. Besides, he _did _help us when he didn't hafta."

"After threatening us!" Red Alert reminded him.

"Wellll, you did kind of cause _that_ one, Red," piped up Sideswipe in a cheerful tone. Sunstreaker grumbled something that sounded like agreement.

Red Alert glared at them, but subsided. He instead asked Skyfire if he had received the landing coordinates. After receiving confirmation, Red Alert returned to his seat.

"Anyway," said Inferno, returning to the original topic of discussion, "as I was saying, we only have a few fliers now. A couple of minis, a helo, one we created based off Earth history, and the last one was kind of unexpected."

At those words, Skyfire felt a chill run through his circuits. But all he could bring himself to respond with was, "How so?"

"A couple of Earth years ago, representatives of the government of the country we're living in approached us. Said they wanted to reward us for our help with the 'Cons…"

A snort from Red Alert interrupted Inferno. "'Reward', indeed. They should have told us right away. "

Inferno ignored him. "So they approached us with this story, that a bit over one of our vorns ago, the crew of a ship trying to find the Northwest Passage, whatever that is, got trapped during the voyage, and while chopping out, found a 'metal giant with wings' in the ice there."

Skyfire felt his Spark seize up. No, it was _impossible_…

"Looking to make profit off of it, they telegraphed the government of their country and the mech was put into deep storage somewhere."

"Apparently," said Red Alert reluctantly, "that was the reason why they weren't too startled by our existence when we revealed ourselves. They had been studying him for around an Earth century prior to our appearance." The whole story had disgusted him when he learned of it.

"Prime wasn't thrilled with them when he found that out," came from Sunstreaker. The humans' actions hadn't surprised him one bit, although it had disgusted him when Prime hadn't reacted more harshly than a cold acknowledgment.

"And he shouldn't have been!" snapped Red Alert. "They should have told us the moment our existence became common knowledge!" Even now, the government's duplicity still angered him. The Autobots had risked their Sparks for this alien planet time and again, while in the meantime a Cybertronian was the prisoner of their host country. Even if the mech _had_ been unaware, it was no excuse and as far as Red Alert was concerned, it was just one more reason not to trust humans. While Prime did agree in principle with Red Alert's point of view on that particular subject, and since then was warier of them, he refused to break off their relations with the humans entirely. His reasoning consisted of the fact that many humans _did_ consider them invaders and it would be best if they could stay on as good terms as possible until they could safely leave. Red Alert was not thrilled by _that_, either, but he could concede the point even if he didn't like it. However, since then he trusted humans even less than he had before.

"At least they _did_ tell us eventually though," responded Inferno quietly. "They could've continued to keep their mouths shut. Given the damage the 'Cons had dealt out up to then, wouldn't have blamed them for _that_."

"True," conceded Red Alert reluctantly. He could agree with _that_ much, but little else.

"So what happened?" Skyfire was struggling to keep his voice level. This story was unnerving to him for more reasons than they knew.

"Went to get him," was Inferno's answer. "No matter how irritated he was by the story, Prime wasn't going to overlook the opportunity to gain another flier. Unfortunately, Megatron got wind of the news through one of his spies, Laserbeak, and decided the same thing. By the time we got to the storage location, Megs was attacking and his mechs had knocked out the freezer controls, thawing the mech out and he literally stumbled into the battle. He appeared to be pretty disoriented at first, which was understandable. He also seemed pretty confused by seeing Cybertronians fighting each other."

"He spotted one of ours, a mini named Brawn, go down," continued Sideswipe. "Went to help him. Megs yelled at him, asked him what he thought he was doing, the mech he was helping was the enemy. Guy shot back that this mech was a Cybertronian, and needed help, that he recognized no enemy. That changed real quick when Megs called him a traitor and tried to shoot him with that fusion cannon of his. If Bluestreak hadn't noticed the scene and wasn't such a good shot…" Sideswipe trailed off, shaking his head. It had surprised him as much as anyone else that a _Seeker_ of all mechs had defended them, but that honestly was the moment that Sideswipe became willing to reconsider his opinions on Seekers. At least one of them, anyway.

Red Alert concluded the tale. "After Bluestreak fired those shots at Megatron and drove him back, it didn't take long for the battle to end. After the Decepticons retreated, Prime approached the mech, a Seeker. He explained what was going on, and asked the mech for his designation. He was understandably distrustful at first given the circumstances, but it did help that one of our faction had saved his life. Once Prime gave him assurances concerning his safety, he gave his designation as Starscream, and told Prime how he ended up on this planet. Prime asked him if he would be willing to return to the Autobots' base with us. Having nowhere else to go, he agreed. Our scientists, Wheeljack and Perceptor, recognized his designation and knew enough of his reputation to confirm much of his story. He joined the science team and has remained with us ever since. However, he hasn't officially aligned with the Autobots, choosing instead to remain a Neutral."

"Fragger's got an attitude, though. Smart mouth, too. Gotten him in trouble with a few mechs," muttered Sunstreaker. Shortly after Starscream's arrival, he and Sideswipe had run afoul of him once with an attempted prank. Sunstreaker still held a grudge for how it was turned back on them. He'd been fluorescent orange for a week. Sideswipe, who turned neon pink, for his own part had been extremely impressed by how expertly Starscream had turned the tables on them, and shortly afterwards removed him from his list of prank victims.

"Aw, come on, Sunny. So he ruined the prank we tried to pull on him," piped up Sideswipe cheerfully. As far as he was concerned Starscream had earned his respect, and not just for his fast CPU. "You have to admit he did it with flair. And not only that, he can argue with the Hatchet and win without penalties. Anyone who can out-argue the Hatchet and live is worthy of _any_ respect. Besides, the mechs he got in trouble over are troublemakers anyway. Even Prowl knew that."

"True. And don't call me Sunny," growled his twin.

Skyfire tuned the rest of the conversation out in order to process the information he had been given. Starscream was freed from his icy tomb; he was still online…

Skyfire knew he should be thrilled by the knowledge, after all, it meant he had the opportunity to see his old friend again. At the same time, he felt apprehensive at the prospect. After all, he had left Starscream behind and never sought any help to release him. No matter how glad Starscream would be to see his old friend, there was no way in the Pit he would allow such actions to stand once he discovered the truth. Not with his temper…

Skyfire mentally shook himself. No, he couldn't worry about that now. He would just get his passengers to their base. After all, that was the only thing he was required to do. He didn't have to remain…Just drop them off and depart once more. It would be for the best. At least, that was what he told himself.

Shaking off his concerns and focusing instead on completing his journey, Skyfire continued towards the _Ark_.

Unfortunately, he was so focused he missed the sudden appearance of three blips on his radar.

Three jets bearing the Decepticon symbol flashed into view behind Skyfire, but he was too intent on getting his job done to even bother paying attention to his surroundings.

Taking advantage of the shuttle's distraction, and detecting Autobot signals aboard, the lead jet fired...


	4. Ghosts from the Past Return, Part II

**A/N:** Well, I got it done faster than I expected, so here is the 2nd part of Chapter 3. In here there will be some changes to a certain alt-mode and coloring. However, my reasons are explained within the chapter, and I stand behind them. A shout-out of thanks goes to dixiegurl13 for her help in choosing the alt-mode for that particular character. There is also going to be a brief appearance by an OC in this chapter. However, it will not be appearing again in this story after the once, and I will not be expanding the character in any way for future stories. I promise, it will be a one-time character used only for plot purposes here. The contents of this chapter will also contain one of the moments you've all been waiting for.

Oh, and just so everyone knows, this is the first time I have inserted a battle scene in my story, so if it isn't that good, that would be why.

Further, since there is a bit more ground for me to cover, this will be a longer chapter than my usual. The next one also may be a bit longer as well.

Time units for G1 (Source: TF Wiki):  
_decacycle - 3 weeks_  
_vorn - 83 years  
breem - 8.3 minutes_

_

* * *

_

"_A man cannot free himself from the past more easily than he can from his own body."_ ~ André Maurois

* * *

The first thing Skyfire became aware of was the pain surging up his right wing. The second was the sound of his alarms blaring.

"We're under attack! I knew this would happen! I just knew it!" Red Alert screamed, jumping up from his seat, almost losing his footing as the impact of another shot rocked Skyfire.

Skyfire, for his part, was trying to do his best to ignore Red Alert's ranting while at the same time trying to evade the sudden attack. _What the Pit is going on? There was nothing there a moment ago!_

He piled on the speed, trying to evade his still unknown assailants. Lasers flashed all around him as Skyfire did his best to dodge his attackers. As he did, he caught sight of his assailants: three Seekers, one silver, one navy blue, and one purple and black. _Where on Cybertron did _they _come from? _He veered sharply to the left to avoid a shot from the blue jet, but wasn't fully successful, as the shot managed to sear one of his thrusters. Turning sharply again, he managed to get a few shots off, causing the jets to break out of their formation.

"Skyfire, are your communications still up?" Red Alert had finally managed to get to the front. In the back, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were trying to get Inferno to let them join the fight, while Inferno was trying to persuade them that it was a stupid idea. Red Alert would have snorted over the foolishness if the situation weren't so dangerous.

"They are," replied Skyfire.

"Good. Could you open a channel for me?"

"Under these circumstances?" shouted Skyfire, as he managed to dodge another shot, this one aimed at his nosecone.

"We don't have much choice! If we don't call for assistance **now**, we won't have a chance at all!"

Skyfire growled low, but conceded the point. The moment he opened the channel, Red Alert was yelling over the comm: "Red Alert to Autobot Base! Red Alert to Autobot Base!"

_"Autobot Base to Red Alert. We've been waiting to hear from you. What is your estimated...?"_

"No time for that! The craft we are in is under attack!" Red Alert grabbed hold of the console as Skyfire went into a spin, in yet another attempt at evasion. Sideswipe whooped. Red Alert shook his head. _Idiot._

"Just get someone out here! We are under attack..." He paused, noticing the radar screen and took note of the images for the first time. "Slag! We're under attack by the Command Trine!"

A pause, then a second voice came on, this one more serious. _"We had already sent someone out to escort you. We've informed him of your distress call. He'll be there quickly."_

A bolt of light flashed right past the window. Red Alert frowned, not sure it would be quick enough. He just shook his head and said grimly, "We'll try to hold on until then. Red Alert out."

Moments later, there was a sudden jolt as Skyfire lost one of his thrusters to a shot from the blue jet. As he began to plunge into a dive, he caught a glimpse of a black streak of light just above him. _What the...? Is that...a black jet?_

"The cavalry's here!" whooped Sideswipe, almost as if he'd heard Skyfire. "He'll kick their afts but good!"

"Nice priorities, Sides," groused Sunstreaker. They could be plunging towards deactivation and all Sideswipe could do was cheer on his new buddy.

Skyfire, meanwhile, had lost patience. "If you would all just _shut up _so I can concentrate on trying to land us all in one piece, I would much appreciate it!" He was in pain, and wasn't sure how bad the damage was, but he did have a responsibility to his passengers. If nothing else, he could get them to safety. Adjusting his ailerons, he managed to straighten himself out just before he hit the ground.

His last thought before he lost consciousness was: _Who _is _that black jet?_

* * *

_Ark Medbay, seven hours later_

Starscream stood outside the observation window watching Ratchet complete the repairs on his old partner. Skyfire had taken some serious damage to his thrusters from Thundercracker's shots. His wings had been scored as well, and there was some damage resulting from the rough landing. The damage wasn't life-threatening, but the black jet just couldn't help worrying. To distract himself, he focused on his memories of the battle.

_It was just supposed to be a simple escort mission. That's all. _He had glimpsed Skyfire going into that dive as he had arrived. Of course, he had suspected that the shuttle the Autobots were arriving on was Skyfire from the moment he had heard the description of the craft. Very few Valkyrie shuttles were ever created, and only Skyfire seemed to be unaccounted for. He had become furious at the sight of the shuttle going down and had engaged. It had taken some time, but he was able to hold them off long enough for other backup to arrive. In the end, the Command Trine had retreated and everyone had survived the crash with minor injuries. Even Starscream hadn't emerged fully unscathed, having suffered some sensor and paint damage from the Command Trine's leader.

_Slag Skywinder, causing that damage to my wings…Ratchet was none too pleased about that. _He gave a slight smirk in spite of the annoyance that memory caused. _Guess he's still sore about what I did to his precious paintwork a decacycle ago. _The smirk turned into a scowl. _Still, I made sure he and his wingmates won't be causing trouble for awhile. That will teach him to call me_ _a traitor. Not like I _asked_ to be a part of this war…_

"Starscream?"

Startled out of his thoughts, Starscream turned towards the source of the voice. "Optimus Prime. What brings you down here?"

The leader of the Autobots glanced through the observation window as he answered. "Just curious about our unexpected guest. Red Alert, Inferno, and the Twins' reports all say he saved their afts on Cybertron, and during the skirmish here he did his utmost to keep them all safe."

Starscream nodded, turning his head back towards the window. Personally, he had to admit that their story had surprised him. Skyfire, he knew from past experience, was a pacifist and disliked fighting. Oh, he would do it if he needed to defend himself, but for the most part, he tried to find other ways out of difficult or potentially dangerous situations. Starscream, being a war-build, didn't always understand that line of thinking but had never been quite able to deny that sometimes such a way of thinking had its advantages. It certainly had helped on more than one occasion during some of the expeditions they had been on, when his impulsiveness and reckless behavior had caused problems. He voiced these thoughts to Optimus.

"I see." Optimus mused for a few moments. "While I can certainly understand his point of view, I know from experience that sometimes you do need to fight or make a stand. Perhaps experience has taught him something similar."

"Perhaps," was Starscream's response. _And all it does is continuously remind me how long I was in terminal stasis. _A bitter smile at that thought. _So much has changed while I slept…_

"Starscream? Are you all right?" Optimus' concerned voice interrupted his train of thought.

Starscream just shook his head. "I'm fine. It's just…difficult to be constantly reminded how separated from things I am. _Knowing_ how much time has passed is one thing. _Adjusting_ to the fact is quite another. This…" and here he gestured towards the window, "is simply another example."

Optimus nodded. He knew he would never be able to fully understand what it was like for Starscream, having left Cybertron during a time of peace, through chance becoming completely separated from his world, and then awakening thousands of vorns later to find his homeworld and people had torn themselves apart. Many times, the frustration had shone through as he'd dealt with the comments from both factions. Optimus suspected that some of those comments had a great deal to do with the reason why Starscream had chosen a completely different alt-mode from the Decepticon Seekers. Fortunately, most of the Autobots seemed to be able to understand he was never involved in the war and as a result, Starscream was virtually accepted by the majority. To be honest, Optimus shuddered sometimes to imagine what could have happened if Starscream _had_ been involved on the Decepticon side during the war.

_Certainly things would have gone far differently. Thank Primus for the cooler heads here._

"Things will certainly be difficult for the both of you, seeing as the last time he saw you, you had a different alt-mode and colors and you are still learning to deal with the fact you have not changed inside as he has.

"But if your friendship is strong enough, perhaps you will be able to get through this situation," Optimus concluded. "Just allow yourselves that chance."

Starscream nodded. He wasn't quite as sure as Optimus Prime. After he had awakened, the derogatory comments from those such as Cliffjumper and Huffer had been very difficult to deal with. Added in with the earlier comments made by Megatron (and what had made him think that Starscream was his to order around anyway?), he felt it would be best to make himself appear a bit differently from the Seekers in the Decepticon ranks, and so chose an alt-form from another country over the one they were living in. His choice, an experimental Russian jet known as a Sukhoi Su-47 _Berkut_, had admittedly caused an uproar from the United States government, but Prime had pointed out to them that he _did_ need to look different from the Decepticon Seekers so neither they nor the U.S. Air Force shot him down by accident. Besides, it was nothing short of a miracle that he was agreeing to help at all, considering he had been trapped and studied by them for over one of their centuries. Eventually, they had agreed, on the condition that since he was not an official Autobot, he put some kind of marking on his wings to make it clear he was a Cybertronian and not just a spy jet. Although somewhat annoyed by the condition, Starscream had conceded the point and placed the symbols of Vos and Crystal City on his wings, representing the two places closest to his Spark.

Looking back on it now, Starscream had to admit that besides the annoyance, he had gained a bit of amusement and satisfaction from choosing that form. The idea of being someone else's experiment was _not_ something he appreciated. He could also admit he rather liked how it made him look, far sleeker than the other tetrajets. But still…Would Skyfire understand?

Movement in the surgery caught his attention. Ratchet was straightening up. He had finished. Starscream suspected he would receive the answers to his question soon.

* * *

Skyfire groaned as he regained consciousness. He ached all over and it felt like he had slammed into the ground belly first. Oh, wait, that's right. He had. _Slag it all._

"He's awake," a gruff voice came from his right. He looked over and spotted a red and white mech with an Autobot symbol on his chassis standing next to the berth, speaking to someone over his shoulder. His root form seemed a bit strange, not reflecting any Cybertronian vehicle he was acquainted with. Skyfire, however, did note he wore red crosses on his shoulders. _A medic then. The Autobots must have brought me into their base after the battle._ Skyfire flinched slightly.

So much for simply dropping off his passengers and departing immediately afterwards. Mentally, he cursed himself once more for responding to that signal, following that up with a few strong curses against those particular tetrajets and their Creators.

"You can speak with him for one breem. I would like him to get a bit of rest before I release him," the medic stated.

"Of course, Ratchet," a calm, serious-sounding voice replied.

The medic moved away from the berth, revealing a mech nearly as tall as Skyfire himself. The colors this mech sported were red and blue and he wore a facemask. Like the medic he now knew was the infamous Ratchet of Sideswipe's declarations earlier, this mech's root form also appeared to reflect an unfamiliar alt-mode.

"Greetings, Skyfire," the mech began. "I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots. I came down here to extend my thanks for your assistance in getting my mechs to safety." He paused for a moment, and then continued. "I do regret you had to become involved in our war. The Decepticons have been relatively quiet as of late, causing us to become slightly complacent in Red Alert's absence. This skirmish was rather unexpected. I assure you we would have sent a warning ahead had we any inkling the Command Trine was nearby." Optimus shook his head ruefully.

"Red Alert has been giving us an audial full since his return about our neglect of security matters, declaring he and the others all could have been deactivated due to ignorance. Blaster is going to be more watchful from now on, I'm sure." Optimus knew one thing for certain: if Blaster showed any inkling of forgetting this near-fiasco, Red Alert would make certain he would be sharply reminded. He had been furious over the matter, and Optimus couldn't deny his anger was justified.

Skyfire, for his own part, had to admit he _was _annoyed by the whole affair. Against his better judgment he had returned to Cybertron to answer a distress call. While there, he was attacked by tetrajets. Then, he found out the location he is escorting this small band of Autobots to is the other world he would have preferred to keep his distance from. Finally, he was attacked by more Decepticons after entering the atmosphere of this planet _because_ those Autobots were aboard. However, the Autobot leader did seem like he was apologizing for some of the trouble. Skyfire decided to swallow his annoyance for the moment.

"I accept your apology," he replied. Optimus nodded.

"I do have a question or two, though," Skyfire went on.

"Go ahead." Optimus was far from surprised by this statement. He had expected Skyfire would be wondering about some things.

"First, who were those tetrajets who attacked me? And why do your root forms look so unusual?" Skyfire asked.

Optimus' optics became grim as he responded to the first question. "The jets who attacked you are Megatron's Command Trine: Skywinder, Thundercracker, and Skywarp. Skywinder is Megatron's Air Commander and Second-in-Command. He has a reputation for being a vicious fighter, and has been known to play dirty in the air and is very adept at hand-to-hand combat, unusual for a flier. He is also known for his ambition and is certainly very competent in his position.

"His two wingmates are well-known mainly for their abilities. Thundercracker possesses the ability to create sonic booms even from a standstill. Skywarp is a teleporter, and can take at least two mechs along with him after activating his warp gate. This ability has caused us many problems in the past. They do not get along with their commander at all, from the information we have gathered, but they are a formidable team in battle."

Skyfire frowned. A teleporter. Well, that certainly explained how the jets got behind him so quickly, and undetected. "I see. Given all you've told me, it seems I was very lucky then."

Optimus nodded. "Fortunately, when Red Alert sent out the distress call, we were able to assure him that we had already sent Starscream out to escort you to the base. He has dealt with Skywinder previously. In his report, he stated you were taking evasive maneuvers and only shooting when you could."

"I had passengers aboard," Skyfire snapped. He did not need the reminders. Neither of Starscream nor of how dangerous things had gotten.

Optimus was slightly taken aback by the response. Skyfire's attitude seemed to have changed abruptly with the mention of Starscream. There was anger there, and something else...Optimus was uncertain if it was bitterness or regret.

He decided to put that mystery aside for another moment, and answered Skyfire's other question. "You asked why our forms looked strange. Six million Earth years ago, we crashed on this planet and were knocked into stasis. When we finally awoke, our scanners collected information on the vehicle forms of this world, allowing us to blend in more easily."

Skyfire nodded. That certainly made sense. Before he could ask further questions, though, Optimus spoke again.

"I should leave, or Ratchet will make certain to add a few dents to my helm," he said with an amused chuckle. "However, I think I could gain permission for you to have one other guest. Especially since this one will make every attempt to argue Ratchet into submission if he refuses to allow him to visit."

"And I'd win, too," piped up a familiar raspy voice, sounding quite cheerful at the prospect.

Skyfire looked off to Optimus' right side. The form was unfamiliar, but the face was definitely recognizable.

"Starscream?" Skyfire felt dread surge up in his tanks at the sight of his old friend.

A familiar grin appeared on Starscream's faceplates. "Good to see you again, Skyfire." Starscream couldn't believe how nervous he felt. It also didn't help that he was slightly disappointed by Skyfire's reaction to his appearance. Starscream had expected him to be happier about seeing him online once more, but Skyfire's expression, plus the tone of voice he used a few minutes ago with Prime seemed to suggest he was anything but. _Oh, well, I'll figure this one out later. Can't be anything_ too _important._

"I'll go speak to Ratchet and get you a few moments before he decides to kick you out," said Optimus as he started to leave. "It was good to meet you finally, Skyfire. Starscream has told myself and a few others much about you." He headed for Ratchet's office.

Skyfire watched him go, and turned back to Starscream, forcing a smile. "So, you've told him all about me, have you?" A nervous chuckle escaped in spite of himself. "Nothing bad, I hope."

Starscream raised a browridge. The response struck him as odd, somehow. "Of course not. Unless there's something you neglected to tell me during our partnership."

Skyfire felt a surge of guilt. However..._No, __I can't tell him, not now._

"No, I can't think of anything," he said, wearing the same forced smile.

Starscream couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right with his old partner, but he decided to ignore that for now. _All that matters is catching up with Skyfire._

"So," Starscream began, "will it be possible for you to stay awhile? We have a lot to catch up on: my own experiences since I've awoken, and I'm interested in knowing what adventures you've been up to since my accident." There was a hopeful tone in his voice.

"Depends on what the medic says," Skyfire had caught the tone. He didn't want to disappoint his friend, but by the same token, he just couldn't run the risk of Starscream finding out the truth. "To be honest, I hadn't planned to stay..."

Starscream's face fell.

"But I suppose I could for a few days after he releases me," Skyfire gave in. He just couldn't disappoint his friend's hopes. He had already failed him enough, unbeknownst to him.

His effort was rewarded when Starscream grinned once more. "Good! I'll show you the labs after you're released and introduce you to Wheeljack and Perceptor."

"Which won't be happening anytime soon if he doesn't get some rest," chimed in Ratchet. "Now that you're done saying 'hello', I'd like to give him this sedative."

"What crawled up your tailpipe and died?" was Starscream's response.

"You know, I _could_ undo those repairs to your wings..."

Starscream snorted. "Fine, I'll go. Not because you said to, but because I choose to." Ignoring Ratchet's own snort, he turned and walked to the door.

Before exiting, he paused and turned around, a genuinely pleased smile on his face. "I'll see you later, Skyfire." Then he was gone.

Skyfire just lay back, and let Ratchet administer the sedative. The medic was muttering something about temperamental Seekers, but Skyfire wasn't really listening to his rants. As he drifted into recharge, one final thought flittered through his mind:

_Primus, what do I do _now_?_

* * *

**A/N2:** Anyone who wants to know what Starscream's new alt-mode is, just let me know and I will willingly provide the link. And I also provide this reassurance: Skyfire will be facing the music very soon.


	5. Truth and Consequences

**A/N: **As I suspected, this chapter did indeed turn out to be a long one. We now come to the second moment you have all been waiting for. I do hope it meets with your satisfaction. I know I enjoyed the writing of it.

Time units for G1 (Source: TF Wiki):  
_decacycle - 3 weeks_  
_klik - 1.2 minutes  
orn - 14 days  
solar cycle - 1 day_

* * *

"_Nobody ever did, or ever will, escape the consequences of his choices." – _Alfred A. Montepert

_"Consequences are unpitying."_ - George Eliot

* * *

Something was very wrong.

In the few Earth weeks since Skyfire's arrival, this fact had become clearer to Starscream. His friend's behavior with Prime in the Medbay shortly after his arrival was strange enough, but other things also were bothering him. For instance, a day or two after Skyfire's release from the Medbay, he had heard from Ironhide about the exchange Skyfire had had with Ratchet just before his release. Ironhide had shown up just as Ratchet was informing him that the repairs and welds needed to integrate with his systems before he could go anywhere. Skyfire had been none too happy, judging from his response…

* * *

_"And if I try to fly before they are fully integrated?"_

_Ratchet glared._

_"Go ahead if you want to fall out of the sky," he snapped. "Just see if I repair you then."_

_Skyfire returned the glare._

_"I'm sure your leader would have something to say about that," was his cold response. _

_Ratchet raised a browridge. Then he shook his head. This patient was perhaps the most difficult one he had ever had, and that included Starscream. However, it seemed temper would not work on Skyfire, so he reined in his usual sarcasm, and explained the reasons calmly._

_"I do understand that it can be rough for a flier to be grounded. Trust me, I've repaired fliers before and they've tended to make life difficult for everyone else when they can't go outside for a while. However, your damage was serious enough that if you did attempt to leave before the integration of the welds and new circuitry was completed, then there is a high chance your systems could fail while in-flight."_

_Skyfire thought about that for a few kliks, frowning. Finally, he said, "I see. How long am I grounded for, then?" His tone seemed rather dull and flat to Ironhide. Almost like he didn't really want to be here._

_"Two orns. Or rather, twenty-eight solar cycles of this planet's time."_

_Ratchet was looking at Skyfire's face so didn't catch it, but Ironhide was standing further back so did notice something odd: Skyfire briefly clenched his hands into fists. When Ratchet left, and Ironhide walked up to introduce himself and escort Skyfire to his temporary quarters, Skyfire said nothing, just grimaced. __Ironhide thought that seemed strange behavior for one who had just learned his former companion was still alive. He made a mental note to tell Starscream about it later._

* * *

The exchange was odd enough, but perhaps would have not bothered Starscream so much if other strange events hadn't occurred so quickly following it. The cycle Skyfire was released, Starscream was tied up in the labs as he and Perceptor had been supervising Wheeljack's creation of a sonic disruptor at the time of Skyfire's release. If it worked, it would be a good help in countering Thundercracker's attacks. And so far, it seemed promising. The project was at a delicate point when Starscream received the notification that Ratchet had let Skyfire out, so he was unable to get away at that particular moment. But when it became clear that no explosions would be taking place, Starscream took his leave of them. As he exited the room, he noticed both Perceptor and Wheeljack exchanging an odd look.

Upon his arrival at the quarters where Skyfire was staying, Skyfire's behavior struck him as pensive, jumpy. And when Starscream asked him if he was all right, he had changed the subject...

_

* * *

_

_"Oh, I'm fine. But what about you? You're involved with a war, I hear, even if you aren't officially involved. Plus, Sideswipe mentioned that a few of the mechs here give you a hard time. I assume that has something to do with you being a Seeker?" _

_Starscream frowned at the memories those words brought. Most of his problems were caused by Cliffjumper and Huffer, but a few others such as Blades, Powerglide and Tracks had also made comments as well. Starscream made every effort not to attack unless provoked. Most of the time, he was able to keep his temper in check, but even he couldn't deny it was not always easy._

_"I can handle myself," he responded quietly. "But I really would like to know how you are doing, and what happened to make you leave Cybertron."_

_Skyfire suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Later." A small smile. "Now, I believe you wanted to introduce me to the labs?"_

* * *

And constantly, Skyfire proved to be evasive when Starscream tried to question him afterwards. Again and again, whenever Starscream tried to find out from Skyfire what caused him to leave Cybertron and what Cybertron had been like in the early days of the war, Skyfire would always change the subject, asking about what experiments and projects Starscream was up to. Or he would just say, "Later," and go back to talking about his experiences out in space. It wasn't as if Starscream didn't enjoy the tales of Skyfire's adventures, and he definitely enjoyed speaking about his own projects. But there was a part of him that wanted to know how the Expedition Council had reacted to his disappearance (even if he already had a suspicion or two regarding that and wouldn't be surprised to hear either confirmed), and he truly wished to hear an unbiased account of the events leading up to the war. He trusted the Autobots with his life, but was fully aware that most of them were just too full of anger against the Decepticons, and were unlikely to give him a straightforward account. Skyfire, he knew, wouldn't lie to him.

And yet…

Too many things were not adding up. The harsh attitude, the evasion, and it also seemed Skyfire had developed a shorter temper as well. Just a few days ago, he had snapped at Bluestreak for talking too much, telling him that not everyone was interested in listening to him. Fortunately, no one else had been around, but Starscream had been shocked by the outburst. He owed Bluestreak his life, and while he could admit Bluestreak was capable of talking the ears off of a turbofox, the mech truly was one of the gentlest he had ever met, in spite of his experiences. Bluestreak had gone away upset, and Starscream pulled Skyfire aside and for once, _he_ had given the lecture he usually received from Skyfire. Starscream told Skyfire that it was unacceptable, his snapping at Bluestreak like that, and explained why. He related Bluestreak's experiences during the war, how his home city of Praxus had been destroyed, and he had been trapped under some ruins, which had fallen in such a way that they protected him. He was the only survivor of the attack, he told Skyfire. Any others who had survived were outside of Praxus at the time. After the lecture, Skyfire had seemed embarrassed by his actions, and apologized to Bluestreak, who accepted it, but later privately told Starscream that Skyfire did not seem like the kind mech Starscream had described in his stories.

Starscream definitely couldn't deny this, and promised that he would keep Skyfire away from Bluestreak from then on. A promise he had kept, but shouldn't have had to make in the first place, he felt.

Starscream wished he could figure out this enigma. In the meantime, he tried to focus on the gathering around him in the Rec Room. There was a party that evening to celebrate the latest victory over the Decepticons. He had brought Skyfire there to join himself and the other scientists, whom Skyfire had also been avoiding, not going into the labs if he knew they were going to be there. Also strange, Starscream thought.

Wheeljack's voice stirred him out of his musings. "…so why didn't you ever return to Cybertron before now?"

The comment got his attention. _What was that?_

"Wheeljack, I don't know what you are talking about." Starscream did not miss how Skyfire's voice sounded very nervous all of a sudden.

"I'm sorry, Wheeljack," interjected Starscream, forcing his voice to be calm, although he was completely disturbed by that comment of Wheeljack's. "I missed part of what you said there."

"It's not important, Starscream," Skyfire cut in.

Starscream looked hard at Skyfire, suspicions completely roused now. "I was asking Wheeljack, Skyfire. You were saying, Wheeljack?"

It was now Wheeljack's turn to look uncomfortable. Apparently, he was just now starting to realize that Starscream had never heard about this at all. Perceptor also seemed a bit bemused. Starscream suddenly remembered once more the look the two had exchanged in the labs that day…

"Wheeljack, what is going on?" Starscream wanted answers. Now.

Wheeljack was quiet for a long moment. Then, he seemed to decide there was no way out, and answered Starscream's question.

"Skyfire never returned to Cybertron after your departure on that expedition to find energon sources. It was assumed you both were deactivated…"

Starscream couldn't believe his audials. _No, he never returned to Cybertron after my accident? That _couldn't _be possible._ But the more he thought about it, the more the pieces fell into place…Skyfire's attitude, his evasion, his behavior as a whole since his arrival. _It's _true_. He _did _abandon me, and went on his own way like nothing happened. _Starscream could feel his temper rising. His expression contorted, his fists clenched, his optics flared bright red.

"Starscream?" Skyfire had noticed the warning signs and knew there was no way he could stop this. All he could hope to do was alleviate the damage Wheeljack's statement had caused, even if it was a vain hope.

_"Why?_ Why didn't you return to Cybertron? You knew how important the expedition was, you knew the results we had obtained; you knew I was missing, perhaps deactivated, and you didn't go back to report _any_ of this to the Expedition Council? Why, Skyfire?" Starscream spoke in a harsh whisper, barely able to contain his rage. All it would take was one more push.

Which Skyfire provided with his response to Starscream's question.

"I remembered how corrupt the Council was, and believed that my own life would be in danger if I returned and reported not only your loss, but the failure of the expedition as well," Skyfire admitted, a miserable look on his faceplates.

The next thing Skyfire felt was a sharp pain in his abdominal plates as he was hit with a force hard enough to make him double over in his seat.

Starscream was now standing, his fists clenched, and he was shaking with rage. All conversations in the Rec Room had ceased with the sight of Starscream punching his old friend. The silence ensured his next words could be heard throughout the room.

"That is not the point," Starscream growled. He didn't care at this point if Skyfire felt guilty over his actions or not. All he felt right now was fury towards his former partner for his betrayal. Skyfire was going to hear what he thought of him for this.

"The point is this," he hissed. "If our situations had been reversed, I would have gone back to Cybertron to try and obtain help for you. Yes, I knew the Council was corrupt, and yes, I likely would have failed in getting assistance for you. You were respected enough; chances were I would have been charged with murdering you, and they wouldn't have listened to anything I said.

"But still, I would have at least tried. You took the coward's way out. You abandoned me without a second thought," he spat.

Starscream's words hit Skyfire as hard as the blow he had received. He lifted his head in an attempt to reason with Starscream.

"Starscream, please listen…"

Another blow, this time to his right optic. It shattered under the impact.

"Spare me your excuses," came the snarl.

Starscream turned to the two scientists. He was furious, and knew that if he stayed in Skyfire's presence any longer, he would do far worse than simply punch him.

Although Primus knew Skyfire _did_ deserve far worse than a couple of punches, and judging from the looks on some of the Autobots' faces, he would likely get it. Starscream allowed himself a bit of grim amusement at the thought.

"Perceptor, Wheeljack, thank you for the _enlightening_ evening. I shall see you both in the morning," and with that, Starscream left the room, followed by the sound of whispers as the Autobots in the Rec Room began to gossip about what they had just witnessed. Starscream smirked.

Oh, yes. Skyfire would certainly get worse. There was no doubt in his processor.

Starscream wouldn't have to do a thing.

* * *

The days that followed the confrontation in the Rec Room proved to be torturous for Skyfire. It started after Starscream left the Rec Room. Skyfire had managed to pick himself up and drag himself to the Medbay, only to find that word had preceded him over the "incident".

Ratchet had apparently been given the heads-up by Wheeljack, who had comm'd ahead to let him know that Skyfire was on his way there, and why. Ratchet had glowered at him while doing the repairs on his optic and checking the abdominal area to see how serious the damage was from the punches Starscream had issued, and he was certainly none too gentle about any of it.

After Ratchet finished checking him out, he let him go, but not without a few comments.

"You know, Skyfire, quite a few Autobots don't take lightly the idea of leaving behind one's comrades," he said calmly, though there was an edge in his voice.

"Really?" was all Skyfire could bring himself to say, even though the words struck him as ominous.

"Really," was the cold response. "And if I were you, I would watch your back." With that, Ratchet turned back to his tools. Skyfire had headed back to his room, only to find a Decepticon symbol painted on the door. A complaint to Optimus Prime brought no results. Prime learned about the incident in the Rec Room at this point, and while he made it clear he was disappointed in Skyfire's long-ago actions, he did initiate an investigation into the matter. Whatever his personal opinions on Skyfire, this kind of retaliation was unacceptable. However, the footage for those halls seemed to have mysteriously vanished, according to Red Alert. Prime was suspicious about this as he knew Red Alert was extremely picky regarding security, but Red Alert stood by his statement, pointing out to Prime he had nothing to gain from lying. Prime did not believe him, but had no proof otherwise. He did warn Red Alert, though, that should important footage "vanish" again, Red Alert would find himself in the brig for a few cycles, no matter _whose_ fault it was. Starscream was also questioned, but could prove he was in his quarters at the time as Smokescreen had left just after he had and was seen talking to him during the time when the symbol would have been painted, and no one would admit seeing anyone else leave after him. The culprit went undiscovered.

The following days were little better. Skyfire found himself shoved by others in the halls; he would walk into a room only to have conversations stop dead the moment he came in; a few Autobots stopped outside his room at night cycle and in strong detail described their opinions of cowards. Threats were shouted in his direction by some when he appeared and on the fourth morning following the revelation in the Rec Room, he found Cybertronian glyphs painted on his door calling him a coward, a traitor, and a Decepticon.

Starscream, meanwhile, just watched all the events swirling around Skyfire, giving no indication as to whether or not he approved of what was happening. Skyfire approached him a few times attempting to make amends, but Starscream always cut him dead, refusing to speak to him at all.

Eventually, Skyfire locked himself in his room, coming out only when he needed to get energon. Unfortunately, keeping to himself left him with far too much time to think, and the thoughts were unsettling indeed.

He knew that he had certainly been rude to some of them prior to the revelation, which Starscream (of all mechs) had lectured him on. He was also aware that some of them, while they accepted the apologies he gave afterwards, had certainly not sought his company since then, nor came to his defense when the attacks started. He knew, too, from listening to some of them in the Rec Room along with the stories he had heard from his passengers on the way here, that Starscream had earned respect among most of them. And strangely enough, even those who had disparaged him in the past were now among Skyfire's worst tormentors.

He had embarrassed Starscream from the moment he came here, he knew that. He had also knowingly created a very large rift between them, not just with his betrayal, but with his silence. Skyfire suspected that Starscream was giving tacit approval to what the others were doing to him, even if he was certain the Seeker was not directly involved.

_It was a mistake to remain here. All I've done is cause trouble, and not just for myself. _A bitter smile. Seemed like all he had done was cause harm by his ill-advised decision to respond to that distress signal. _I've embarrassed Starscream and lost his friendship. _

The most ironic part to Skyfire was the fact, that even in spite of his behavior and attitude, he actually had _enjoyed _spending time with other Cybertronians again. He hadn't realized how lonely he truly had become over the eons.

But he threw that away, too. _I was a fool. A fool to come here and a fool to try and hide the truth. If I had just __said something when Starscream first asked..._

Skyfire shook his head. No, there was no point in worrying about what he _should_ have done. There was in fact only one thing he _could _do. He had an appointment with Ratchet today to check to make sure his repairs were fully integrated. After that, then he would slip away, just disappear into the stars. It would be for the best.

Skyfire kept trying to convince himself of that all the way to Medbay.

* * *

Perceptor stood outside the door to Starscream's quarters. For the past week, he had been struggling with his conscience as he witnessed the escalating attacks on Skyfire. He finally made the decision when he considered that not only was this behavior not worthy of the Autobots, but Skyfire would be departing soon. There was information he had, which, while it did not exonerate Skyfire (and certainly Perceptor could not say he approved of the mech's actions any more than he approved of his fellow Autobots' actions), it would shed a bit of light on the aftermath of the failed expedition. This information would be as unwelcome to Starscream as the information about Skyfire's abandonment of him had, but it needed to be said.

What Starscream chose to do with the information afterward was up to him. Perceptor did not expect a full reconciliation between them. The wounds were still too raw for that. But perhaps it could begin the healing process for both.

He pressed the button on the comm. panel.

"_Yes?"_

"Starscream, it is Perceptor. Might I have a moment of your time?"

* * *

Optimus Prime, meanwhile, was having his own conversation with Skyfire.

"Are you sure you wish to do this?" Prime asked. He knew that the treatment many of his mechs had issued likely had a great deal to do with this decision, even if Skyfire had made no complaints beyond the first occurrence. He had heard rumors of what was happening, thanks to Prowl, and thus had been able to prevent a few worse incidents beyond the ones which _had_ occurred, but Skyfire seemed disinclined to say anything further about it all. Prime was furious with his mechs, and would be dealing with them in the very near future, whether or not Skyfire remained.

It was the least he could do, and even he was aware it was not enough.

"I am sure," Skyfire confirmed. "Ratchet says my injuries have fully healed, and there is no point in remaining where I am not wanted."

"If you apologized to Starscream, I'm certain..."

"No, he was justifiably angry with me, and has refused to speak with me since that evening. I will not force my presence on him further."

Prime sighed inwardly. He believed that all Skyfire was doing was making the situation worse by leaving. Starscream _was_ indeed still upset with Skyfire, but the story he had heard about the most recent glyphs on Skyfire's door had shaken him a bit. It was also noticeable to anyone who knew him that whatever pleasure he had initially received from the treatment of his former partner was waning, even if he did still shun him. Plus, Jazz had also been working on Starscream, reminding him of the stories he had told them. A bit of the edge seemed to have disappeared. Prime didn't believe it would take too much more to convince him to at least talk to Skyfire. However, if Skyfire left now, there was no way in the Pit that Starscream would even consider talking to him and all attempts to repair the damage would be undone.

Even so, Optimus suspected it would be futile to convince Skyfire to remain. But perhaps...

"Then allow me to wish you luck in future endeavors," he replied. "I am truly sorry for the behavior of some of my mechs. I can certainly give you assurances that they will all be receiving some serious punishments in the near future."

Skyfire smiled bitterly. _As if that matters now..._

"Thank you for your hospitality, Prime. I wish you luck as well in your war." And with those words, Skyfire rose and started to leave the room.

Prime's next words stopped him momentarily. "Out of curiosity, when do you plan to leave? I will come and see you off."

Skyfire just looked at Prime sadly, and shook his head. "I am leaving at sunrise. But I would prefer no-one see me off. Best to leave quietly. I do thank you for the offer, though." This time, Prime made no attempt to stop Skyfire as he left the office.

For several minutes after he left, Optimus Prime sat at his desk, pondering his next step. He knew that what he was about to do could end up backfiring, but at this point, there was little else for Skyfire to lose. He opened a private comm. link.

What happened next was up to Starscream.

* * *

For some time after Perceptor left, Starscream paced around his quarters.

He did not want to believe what Perceptor had told him, and yet given his own experiences, it had the ring of truth. However, he could not ignore the fact that Skyfire had just left him in that ice, that he had never made any attempt to obtain help. True, he had made his own mistakes in the past and often caused problems on their expeditions, he could admit that to himself. But he had never **deliberately** put Skyfire in harm's way. Skyfire on the other hand, had done just that to him. Knowingly, he had decided not to return to Cybertron and seek assistance, and knowingly, he had shunned both worlds just because he was afraid of facing things. Starscream knew it was just sheer chance that his Spark hadn't guttered out during those eons of imprisonment.

And yet...

Starscream stopped pacing and let out a sharp intake. And yet, he also couldn't ignore the fact that Skyfire had supported him when he was starting out. That he had listened to him and encouraged him to keep trying in spite of the obstacles thrown in his path. Skyfire had once been his mentor. His friend. Whether he liked it or not, he simply could not forget this one glaring fact. Was not being allowed to forget, thanks to Jazz.

And if he were brutally honest with himself, he could admit the punishment was going too far.

_So what do I do? Continue to shun him, or forgive him?_

A beep startled him from his thoughts.

_"Starscream."_ Optimus' voice sounded over his internal comm.

"Optimus Prime. It's a bit late in the evening for you to be calling, isn't it? I thought you would be in recharge by now."

Optimus made what sounded like a sigh over the comm. Starscream raised a browridge in puzzlement. _What is this about?_

As if he had heard the thought, Optimus responded gravely, _"There is something you should know."_

"I'm listening."

"_It's about Skyfire."_

_Slag it all, now what?_ was Starscream's irritated thought. "What is it, then?"

"_Skyfire is leaving."_

* * *

**A/N2**: So, what do you all think will happen next? Stay tuned for the conclusion...


	6. Parting of the Ways?

**A/N:** Well, I'm sorry to announce that we have come to the final chapter of Intorqueo de Fortuna. When I first started posting this, I didn't have any idea what kind of response to expect as this AU was little explored. I was nervous, I'll admit it. The initial response cleared away my doubts very quickly, and the continued overall response kept me working at it, even when at times it proved to be difficult. I thank all of you who have followed me from the start, and those who have joined since then. Your encouragement meant a lot, and as stated before, I'm sorry I have to end this story. Intorqueo de Fortuna has become one of my own personal favorites and I will miss writing it.

Now without further ado, I present the final chapter of Intorqueo de Fortuna.

* * *

Prime's words both stunned and angered Starscream. His hands clenched into fists.

_That coward! That **fragging** coward!_

_"Starscream? Are you still there?" _Prime sounded concerned. Not wanting to worry him further, Starscream took a deep intake before responding.

"I'm here, Prime. So he's made his choice, it seems," Starscream forced his voice into a level tone.

_"Indeed." _

Starscream was furious. Skyfire was leaving. Deep down, Starscream was fully aware that his own behavior towards Skyfire contributed towards this decision of his, but still…_He could at least have _tried_ to approach me to say 'goodbye'. Instead, he decides to sneak away like the coward he is!_

No, this could not be allowed to pass. But Starscream knew he would get nowhere with Skyfire while in a rage. Forcing himself to calm down, he asked Optimus one question.

"When does he plan to depart?"

_"__Sunrise__."_

Of course. During early shift when few would notice his departure. _Why am I not surprised?_

"Thank you for letting me know, Prime. Goodnight, Starscream out."

_"Goodnight, Starscream."_ Optimus broke the connection, after which he sat back and chuckled. The question Starscream asked told him all he needed to know. Seems that the gamble would not backfire after all.

Starscream stood in the middle of the room for several minutes after the comm. call ended. He was angry, no furious, at the thought of Skyfire running away like this, but Perceptor's words plus his own mixed feelings of earlier could not be shunted aside that easily.

After some long thought, Starscream came to a decision.

He went and lay on his berth, setting his chrono to wake him two breems before sunrise. This time, Skyfire would not be running away so easily.

* * *

Skyfire stepped outside the _Ark_. Sunrise - the perfect time to leave. Very few were about at this time, and there was merely a skeleton crew shift on duty. They would pay little attention to him as he departed, which was for the best.

_Time to be on my way._

He started forward.

"So, it _is_ true what Prime told me, then. You _are_ leaving."

Skyfire froze at the rather unexpected voice. He turned to see Starscream standing at the entranceway to the _Ark_, leaning against the frame, arms crossed and expression grim.

Seeing he had Skyfire's full attention, he pushed himself off the frame and stepped forward.

"Can't say I was surprised to hear you were leaving. After all, running away seems to be your method of choice when it comes to dealing with your problems, rather than simply facing them, regardless of the consequences."

Skyfire sighed. "Look, Starscream…"

Starscream held up a hand, cutting off Skyfire's words. He had some things he needed to say, and Skyfire was going to hear them. He would not listen to any excuses for Skyfire's behavior. This was too important.

"Perceptor approached and spoke to me last night. During our conversation, he told me what happened at the Academy after we failed to return from that last expedition."

Skyfire felt apprehensive all of a sudden. "And what did he say happened?"

"That when it became obvious neither of us were returning, the Expedition Council made an announcement," Starscream's voice turned bitter. "They announced your deactivation, and held a memorial service for you. Nothing was said about my disappearance at all. The Council chose to pretend I never existed. Oh, they didn't wipe or alter my records, although I honestly wouldn't have put it past them. In my records, the entry next to the space listing our final expedition simply reads 'Missing, presumed deactivated.' Nothing else was done, nothing was said."

Skyfire felt sick. It was one thing to hear rumors about the corruption and callousness within the Expedition Council but to hear them confirmed..._Primus._

A bitter laugh interrupted his thoughts.

"You have no idea how I felt when Perceptor told me this story. Their actions didn't entirely surprise me, given my history with them, but still...it hurt, Skyfire. It hurt to know I was considered as less than nothing."

Starscream paused and stared at Skyfire, his expression hardening.

"In fact, it hurt almost as much as learning I was abandoned by one I considered my friend."

The stare turned glacial as Starscream paused, then continued in a cooler tone.

"Almost as much as the realization that that same friend was capable of lying."

Skyfire flinched. But Starscream wasn't quite finished.

"And almost as much as knowing you were capable of keeping secrets from me." The tone was ice-cold now.

Skyfire made no response, absorbing each harsh word. There was nothing he could say to refute any of them, and he was painfully aware of this fact.

Skyfire's silence angered Starscream. He continued to lash out mercilessly. "I looked up to you, Skyfire. I respected you. You were my guide, someone I could vent to when I needed the outlet, someone who corrected me when I needed it, and encouraged me when I felt ready to quit. I trusted you like I trusted no one else. And when it came right down to it, when I needed you the most, you ran away because you were scared."

Starscream paused for a few intakes, trying to get himself under control. He couldn't afford to lose his temper. Not now.

"I could have deactivated, Skyfire. There was every chance the shifting ice could have pierced my Spark chamber or corrosion from the salt water could have destroyed my vital systems. As strong as our armor is, it is not invulnerable, and I was entombed for over one hundred thousand vorns, nine million of this world's years. Anything could have happened during that time. But you. Did. Nothing. Nothing except save your own plating. And to make it worse, when we met again, you lied to me and tried to cover up your actions."

Every word felt like a judgment to Skyfire, and he accepted it. There was only one thing he could say. It was no defense, but he had nothing to lose by saying it.

"Actually, there _was_ one thing I did."

Starscream raised a browridge at the comment. "Really?" The tone was disbelieving. Skyfire couldn't blame him for the doubt, not after everything he had done. But if he didn't get this out now, he might never be allowed the chance again.

"After receiving your distress call, I responded. I couldn't get through the storm, so I waited until it passed, after which I went in and ran several scans and made attempts to contact you. When all attempts met with failure, I assumed you to be deactivated, and I didn't feel that I could go back and face the Council with the information."

Starscream looked at him for a long moment with the same cold stare. _Fragging excuses. True or not, he just keeps trying to deflect responsibility for his own actions. _He shook his head. "It still does not excuse your actions, Skyfire. You could have gone back and made the report. Whatever happened next was up to the Council. If you truly believed your life was at risk, you could have left _after_ making the report. You could have gone with a clear conscience, knowing you had at least tried to help me."

He looked Skyfire straight in the optic. "Just as I would have tried, consequences or no."

Silence fell between them. Skyfire had no idea what to say to that. And the worst part about it all, he knew Starscream was correct. He _had _had other options, but had not even bothered to consider them. He had thrown away everything because...

"I was afraid." And somehow, that admission made him feel like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

Skyfire met Starscream's gaze, waiting for an answer. Starscream said nothing, wanting to see where Skyfire was going with this. He nodded at Skyfire to continue.

"The orn you crashed, all I could think of were the rumors about the Council and how they reacted towards those who displeased them and I panicked, making my choice based on fear of what could happen. I never stopped to consider that I had other options. At the time, I believed it was the correct decision."

Skyfire took a deep intake. _No turning back now. _"I was wrong. I know that now. And if I didn't before, the Autobots made sure I did. There is nothing I can do to change the past, but I _am_ sorry, and hope that you can one day forgive me for my actions."

Starscream said nothing for a few kliks. His emotions were roiling inside him. He was still angry at Skyfire, but he_ had _received an admission of guilt, something he quite frankly hadn't expected. Not by any means. Starscream felt a grim sort of satisfaction over it. Skyfire's final words, though...Starscream wanted to forgive, he truly did, but when it boiled down to it, one fact remained. One he couldn't overlook.

He sighed and shook his head.

"I don't know right now, Skyfire. Overlooking the fact you cared more for your own plating than our friendship…I'm not sure I can do that. On one level, I can understand _why_ you acted as you did, but simply letting it go is something else entirely. I do apologize for punching you that night, but I will not apologize for the _reasons_ I did it. You _earned_ that reaction from me."

Skyfire felt his Spark sink. So this was the end of their friendship. It hurt, but at the same time he was aware that he deserved it. His actions had led to this point, and he knew it.

Almost as if reading his processor, Starscream spoke once more, and his next words were unexpected.

"But I won't entirely discard the possibility of forgiveness. Primus knows I've made more than my share of mistakes."

In spite of the seriousness of the situation, Skyfire allowed himself a small grin. "Never thought I ever would see the orn when you would admit to _that_."

Starscream smirked. "Well don't get too used to it. It won't be happening again."

Skyfire's grin grew wider. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

The smirk changed into a tired smile. "Hmph. So, this is goodbye, then?"

"Yes, given the circumstances, I feel it's best I leave."

Starscream frowned at Skyfire's response, and shook his head again. "You need to stop running away, Skyfire. I won't deny I know something of your feelings. Yes, I have had problems with a handful of the Autobots. They vilify me simply for being a Seeker, a class of mech they have fought against for eons. It _can_ be difficult dealing with them. But most here have actually been friendly enough. I refuse to run away just because of the actions of a handful of idiots."

He looked up, meeting Skyfire square in the optic. "Running away is the coward's way out, Skyfire, and I refuse to be one."

Skyfire's grin faded and he didn't reply for a few kliks. _Starscream is right again, slag him. I _**_am_** _being a coward. Eons ago, I chose to run away rather than face whatever possible consequences the Council would inflict, and here I am running away again...This cannot continue. But what do I do? Staying here is impossible. Wait. Maybe..._

Skyfire made another decision, this time _knowing_ it to be the correct one.

"I would like to re-earn your forgiveness and trust again, Starscream. Just tell me what I need to do to re-earn them. But staying is the one thing I can't do right now."

He paused. Starcream's face was unreadable and he did not reply. Taking that as an encouraging sign, Skyfire continued. "I've been away from Cybertron for far too long, and you know enough of my nature that you would be aware that even without the treatment I have received, there is little use for me here. I do feel it best for everyone if I leave, but would prefer not to go with this quarrel between us. I am willing to do whatever it takes to repair our friendship, if that is possible."

Starscream was silent for several kliks following Skyfire's words, a cold gaze aimed at the shuttle. When he finally responded, his voice was stern.

"Somehow, I suspected you would still leave no matter what I said. You always were so slagging stubborn when you got your processor stuck on something. As for the rest, there _may_ be ways for you to re-earn my forgiveness. Your apology was a start. Hearing from you periodically would be further progress. You have my old comm. signal. Use it. Chatting, updates…I don't care."

Starscream stepped forward until he was right in front of Skyfire. Looking up and meeting his optics once more, he continued.

"And please do visit whenever your wanderings bring you back into this galaxy. I would appreciate having a familiar face around occasionally."

Skyfire nodded. "I will, I promise."

"Be sure to keep it. This will be your only chance, Skyfire. I mean that."

"I know, and I understand. I won't let you down this time."

Starscream nodded. That would do. Only one thing left to say now. "Farewell, then. Stay safe."

Skyfire laughed. "Considering you're involved in a war, I should be saying that to you."

A smirk accompanied Starscream's reply. "I can take care of myself. Now, get out of here, you big lummox. And don't forget your promise."

Skyfire nodded and turned to leave.

He went into a running start, transformation sequence beginning as he did so. He looked backward for one final glance at his friend.

Starscream directed a small smile and nod at Skyfire.

Skyfire nodded in return and continued on his way.

Upon getting a short distance away, Skyfire launched himself off the ground and completely transformed. He soared into the sky, his Spark far lighter than when he arrived. It was amazing how life could change in so short a time. Once he had hated this world and fled from it for the pain it caused, but now he had a reason to return. And he _would_ return one day.

_And that is a promise I will keep. I swear it._

With new resolve in his Spark, he soared up through the atmosphere and into the void beyond.

* * *

Starscream watched until Skyfire vanished from sight, pondering everything that had happened.

He wished he could be certain that Skyfire would keep his word. So many of his illusions about Skyfire had been stripped from him recently. He had believed Skyfire could do no wrong, and the past week's events had shown otherwise. Skyfire had run away from this planet, leaving him to his fate; he had run away from Cybertron, believing he would be killed if he went back. Even if it was in a moment of panic, those actions (along with the lying and attempt to conceal it when it _was_ revealed) seemed to display in how little regard he held the friendship. Taking all of this into account, Starscream had difficulty believing that Skyfire would keep his promise.

But still…Something about his words rang true. They truly sounded as though Skyfire truly was sorry for his actions and had every intention of making amends…

Starscream desperately wished he could know.

He was startled out of his thoughts by a touch to his shoulder. Whirling around, he saw Optimus Prime standing next to him.

"He'll come back," Optimus said, almost as if he had read Starscream's processor. His words held the sound of conviction, like he _did_ believe this event would occur one day.

"How long were you standing there listening?" was all Starscream could bring himself to reply. He couldn't quite bring himself to respond to Optimus' statement just yet.

"Long enough to witness that promise," responded Optimus, and somehow Starscream just _knew_ the mech not only was grinning behind that facemask, but he had wanted the conversation between himself and Skyfire to occur. _Slagger. But I suppose I can't be _too_ upset about it. _He shook his head, a tired smile on his face.

"You seem certain he will return," Starscream said finally after a few moments, deciding to face the comment Optimus had made. "How?"

"He has a reason to."

"And that is?"

"The desire for redemption. Skyfire knows what he has done, and how he has damaged things. He simply chose the wrong path before. Your words have put him on the correct one. He simply needs to regain his confidence before he can return."

"But not to stay." Starscream couldn't help but doubt a little, in spite of the reassurance in Prime's words.

"Perhaps not now, but I think he will find it hard to stay away from here permanently." And with that, Prime turned and went back inside the _Ark_.

Starscream turned his gaze to the sky, a sad smile on his face. _Goodbye, Skyfire. Don't stay away too long._

Then he turned and walked back towards the Autobot base. Just before he entered, he looked back at the empty space where he and Skyfire had spoken.

_I will try to believe in what Optimus says. It will be difficult, but I will make the effort as long as Skyfire does._

_After all, if a twist of fate caused us to be separated, and another has brought us back together only to be separated again, then perhaps another will bring us back together for good, and if he is willing to try, then I must, if only to greet him well upon his return._

_So I will wait. I will do my best to be patient. I will try to find the strength to forgive._

_No matter how long it takes._

With that thought, and new resolve, Starscream reentered the _Ark_ to await the day when Skyfire's path would lead him back once more.

* * *

_"Fare thee well! and if forever,/Still forever, fare thee well."_ - George Gordon, Lord Byron

_"Don't be dismayed at goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetime, is certain for those who are friends." ~ Richard Bach_

_

* * *

_

**A/N2: **And so ends the journey through this AU.

In spite of the lecture he gave, I know there are those who will believe that final meeting went a bit too easily. To them, I ask you bear these factors in mind: 1) Starscream was as removed from the war as Skyfire was; 2) Since he was never involved with the war until recently, his core personality remained as it was at the time of his accident, never having become as embittered and cruel as it could have otherwise; and 3) He is surrounded by those who've had a good influence on him for the better and won't allow the more negative parts of his personality to take hold. Starscream, therefore, is capable of being reasonable under such circumstances.

However, that doesn't mean I was willing to let Skyfire completely off the hook. He needed to hear what Starscream had to say regarding his behavior and his friend's own feelings on it. It wasn't plausible to give Skyfire a complete personality makeover, not with how I set him up; but I did want to leave the possibility open that he _could_ change. Hence the lecture and Starscream's conditions. The friendship is certainly damaged, but not shattered beyond repair. What happens next can be left to the imagination.

In regards to that, in spite of the way it ends, I have no plans at the moment to continue exploring this AU. However, I have been known to change my mind and won't completely close the door on the possibility. But in the meantime, if there is anyone who wishes to write a continuation or side-story of their own around Intorqueo, all I will ask is for you to let me know.

Again, I did enjoy writing this AU. It was a pleasure to write, even if difficult at times. I thank you all once more for sticking with me.


End file.
